As Promised
by peterpauper
Summary: As promised here are the little stories and little thoughts relating to The Arms of The Ocean and Into the Dark. Loki x OC. Enjoy.
1. As Promised

Hello Dear Readers,

As promised I have written a few drabbles for Loki and Ava. They will be posted here and will fit into either the plot of The Arms of The Ocean or Into the Dark. If you want I can do a question and answer chapter - feel free to leave your Q's here or on my tumblr (peterpauper dot tumblr dot com).  
Thank you very much for being there throughout Loki and Ava's stories. You are a lovely set of readers and your constructive criticism and reviews and support mean more than I can say. You're all wonderful and I hope you enjoy the drabbles.

Blessings,

P.


	2. A Smile

**A Smile  
**

* * *

Ava loved Loki's smile. It was very precious to her and she enjoyed it as much as she enjoyed him; it touched every faucet of his face and it made her want to laugh for no other reason than that she was happy.

It was a rainy day, the water so thick in the air that you could barely see ten feet in front of you and if you did the likelihood of walking that far without slipping and falling over. Ava had woken up, seen the weather, and wriggled back under the covers. Loki had still been very much asleep, his hand sliding from her hip as she shifted. The girl had found her book from the bedside table and brought it into the cacoon of warmth that surrounded the pair on the dreary day.

Ava had been reading lazily when Loki's arm found its way around her again, his strength pulling her against his body. He buried his face against her neck as he woke up, his grip gently rolling the girl onto her back so he could see her better when his eyes opened.

"Morning." Ava said as the man came to. She held her book against her chest and kissed him sweetly. He tasted ever the same; so deep and musky. So beautifully like him.

Loki's touch explored the curve in her waist as he lifted his head and glanced about. "Good morning." His eyes came to hers and his expression warmed. "Or…well…" He nodded at the weather. "Its not really a good morning."

"It's a perfectly good morning." Ava retorted. "And it will be a perfectly good day."

Loki's brow furrowed briefly; he knew her answer but he wanted to hear it anyway. "Mmm? Tell me how it will be a good day."

The girl let a hand rest behind his neck, her fingers listlessly toying with the dark hair there. Ava loved the sun and the sea and there was no denying that, but some days...sometimes rain allowed for the perfect opportunity to be lazy and loving. "It is a perfectly good day for bed and books and good company."

"Company?" Loki smirked and propped himself up on his elbow, Ava's hand drifting from the nape of his neck to collarbone as he did so. "What good company are you planning to entertain? I was not hoping not to see anyone today except you."

The woman wrinkled her nose briefly. "I shall be in the company of some very interesting characters." She waved her book at him. "And with you."

"And with me?"

"And with you." Ava kissed him sweetly. "Always."

Loki smiled. That smile. The girl laughed quietly; the light in his eyes reaching across his features as he scooped her body against his. The image of that smile, of his happy face…that picture and all the joyous feelings that came with it could get her through any darkness – she felt sure of it.

* * *

_Yes it was short but I hope you enjoyed it anyway.  
__There will be more soon. Please let me know if you want to read anything specific about Loki x Ava and I will see if I can do something for you. I was also thinking of starting a page on tumblr for Ava so you could interact with her should you so desire - let me know what you think.  
Thank you for reading, I hope the approach to the New Year finds you all very well._

Blessings,  
P. 


	3. A Gift

**A Gift  
**

* * *

Getting ready for events was always part of the spectacle for Ava. She loved the process and found it to be quite remedial. Other girls always complained about how long it had taken them to get ready, about how stressed they had been. Ava smiled at the though, not maliciously but because she knew she had been the same at one point. She did not know when the preparation period had become calming, but it was definitely more enjoyable.

The woman ran a long brush under her cheekbones and glanced at a movement in her vanity mirror. Loki slipped into her room quietly and kissed the top of her head.

"Are you nearly ready?"

"Nearly." Ava looked up at him as she reached for a perfume bottle and removed the stopper. She dabbed the scent behind each ear and into the curve of her knee. "Did you sneak past my father or is he fully aware of your presence?"

"I never sneak past your father." Loki looked about the room with a mischievous grin. "He's a grown man, as am I. Perhaps if we were younger I would be afraid of him."

"Or if you were not a Prince of Asgard." The girl mentioned with a light laugh as she slid an earring into place.

Loki came up behind her again and stopped her hand as she reached for her necklace. "Wear this one." In his hand sat a slender, wide black box.

Ava glanced at him, at the box, and back again. She squinted at him suspiciously and the god could do little but increase his smile and open the carton. Inside was a gold necklace with diamonds woven into its surface. It draped like leaves falling in the autumn and had some of the most intricate detailing that Ava had ever seen. The girl's eyes widened and she looked at Loki.

"You didn't." She spoke as she half reached for the necklace. It was…beautiful.

"I did." He lifted the piece from its box and gently turned Ava back to her mirror. He lowered the jewellery around her neck, kissing the curve above her collarbone as he did so.

The girl touched the gift as he clasped it into place and met Loki's eye in the mirror. She reached up and put a hand on the side of his face, smiling before twisting to kiss him warmly. "Thank you. Its…" She bit her lip. "Its beautiful. And you're wonderful."

Loki pressed a had to her waist and stood, lifting her against him. He didn't say anything. Ava was so selfless when it came to gifts – she had no idea how to respond or express how grateful she was. But he saw the light in her eyes, and they way she appreciated that he had thought of her even if there was no grand event for gift giving. That's all he wanted to see; that happy little confused piece of her soul that came out when she didn't know how to respond to being spoiled. She gave so much, tried to hard; Ava was his gift. Every day. Loki knew she deserved more than what he had given her, more than what he could ever give her, but the thing was that Ava felt the same about him. He was a blessing to her life – in the good times and the bad. There would always be these memories, these times of kindness and selflessness – there would always be something driving her toward him, always be something that made her, with all of her heart, want to give everything to him.


	4. A Moment

**A Moment  
**

* * *

Ava sat with her head in her hands, a few tears running down her face. The words Loki had said to Natasha Romanoff had cut deeper than she had initially thought and she could not stop replaying the conversation in her head.

How could he say that? Loki. Her Loki. The man she knew and loved…maybe he was gone. Maybe she should mourn him properly.

Ava straightened, her spine coming up against the hard, cold, metal of the flying ship. She ran her hands over her face and brushed a few strands of hair away. Never in her life had a conversation felt like betrayal the way it did now. He had promised to come after her as she followed him, promised to look for her so she wasn't alone. But she was alone. Painfully alone.

It was just so hard. There was no room to breathe or even take a break. It just went on and on and on in a never ending, painful circle. In that moment…Ava did not believe she would get Loki back. Her hope was tired, she was tired, and it had been so long since she had seen the man she loved last.

So she put her head back into her hands and cried a little more. She was a stranger in an unknown place searching for something that didn't exist. Ava wanted to go home.

Go home and do what? Cry some more. No. That wasn't right. It wouldn't be what the Loki she loved would want her to do. He'd want her home, safe, and away from all the drama. Ava smiled at the thought. It would be like Jotunheim – both fighting, but him between her and the worst of the danger. Him moving her behind him, keeping her as safe as he could without causing an argument.

Ava swallowed and wiped her face, a small smile gracing her features. She stood up, imagining the argument he would give to keep her out of The Avenger's drama. If just for that, she could keep going. Maybe. She could try.


	5. A Realisation

**A Realisation  
**

* * *

The helicopter thrummed away from the falling castle, the ship that dropped from the sky. Thor was plummeting to earth in a glass tube, Coulson was dead, and Loki stood without a smile.

Ava sat in a hard seat and stared at nothing at all, her head and her heart reeling and stinging brutally. She just couldn't grasp it, could not grasp who this man was or what had happened to him. What had happened to him? He had behaved irrationally in Asgard but this was different, this was driven in a way that she had not seen before.

The truth was that he did love her. He had to love her. He would have left her on the base if he didn't. Some part of him still existed, so what had happened to the rest.

He seemed thinner, tireder, like he had endured much. But what? And where? At whose hands?

Ava straightened at a realisation, her eyes going to Loki. In her own nightmare she had not thought to ask him about his. What had he been through? What had they done to him?

The woman rose and quietly stepped over to the man. She put a hand on his arm and watched his face swivel to take in her own. Her eyes searched his desperately as her heart broke further for him and for that day. Not only had he fallen, but someone had thrown him down. Thrown him down in order to make him the man that stood before her.

"Loki…" Ava murmured his name quietly. He was there in that moment, the man she had fallen in love with. The man she had become lost in.

Ava knew what it was like to be completely lost in Loki, where all she could see, taste, smell, feel, hear…where all her senses were completely absorbed by him. Where she belonged entirely to him. Where she would fall asleep in his arms and not want to know anything else, not want to be anywhere but with him. She knew this feeling and she knew, deep down, that he felt the same for her.

The woman missed that. Missed him. Dearly. "Loki, what did they do to you?"

His teeth clenched. He vanished. "No one did anything to me. I am to be king of this planet, me. I will rule them."

"For who?" She said softly. "You did not care for earth, you still do not care for it. You are afraid."

"I am not afraid."

Ava watched her fingers as they remained on his arm. "You have lived a nightmare."

He didn't reply, his jaw only clenching further.

"A nightmare worse than mine…but don't become one. Don't become a bad dream and don't disappear on me. Please, I beg you. Whatever happened, whatever pain you endured – let me help you carry that burden. Tell me what they did to you. I want to help you. I want to bring you home."

Loki met her eye again before gently taking his hand in his. He lingered for a moment before returning her fingers to her chest. "Leave it." He said firmly. "Do not ask again."

* * *

_There have been numerous theories that Loki was tortured while with Thanos. _

_I'd love to hear your opinion on it, and hear your requests for future drabbles.  
__Let me know if you're enjoying these so far.  
Blessings, _  
_P. _


	6. A Love

**A Love  
**

* * *

Ava loved laying beside Loki with her skin pressed to his. She loved feeling his heart rate settle alongside hers, loved the feel of his pulse beneath her fingers, and the taste of him on her tongue. She loved that he would explore the subtleties of her; the line at the edge of her collarbone, the soft skin beside her hip, the hollow behind her ear. She loved how measured his movements were, how his breath sunk into her skin, how his fingers drew languid patterns on her flesh.

Making love to him was a beautiful thing. There was a mutual generosity to it, a desire to give, to please, to be happy in the others happiness. There were slow, sleepy kisses in the early morning followed by highs of pleasure and tingling limbs. Ava would lay against him after, his smell in her head and his legs wrapped against hers. It was honest, true. It was beautiful and she loved it. Loved him.

The woman drew her finger along his cheekbone and then down his jaw. She explored the line of his lips, the curve of his nose, the shape of his eyebrows. Her eyes followed the moment, and his eyes followed her expression. There was a smile on Loki's face, his own hand moving to shift the hair from her neck so that he could press his mouth to the skin there and renew her taste within him.

Ava closed her eyes and pressed her body to his. Sleep still clouded her head, but now it felt like she had come from a beautiful dream into something even greater. She linked her fingers with Loki's, the black ring on her finger grating against the black ring on his. She breathed him in and kissed him deeply.

To know that side of him, to have the moments that comprised entirely of him; they were a blessing and something she would never forget. She loved it. Loved him. Loved the way he kissed her back, they way his fingers slid below her ear and into her hair. She loved the way he gathered her against him, scooping her body as if he could absorb her entirely. She loved the way the lazy morning sun etched shadows into his face and how the sheets tangled around them.

She loved him. So much. So much she could never say it, never forget it, and never let go.

* * *

_If you're reading these please let me know what you think. I wanted this one to be about simpler times, about more beautiful moments. I hope you enjoyed it. _

_Blessings, _  
_P. _


	7. A Night Sky

**A Night Sky  
**

* * *

In the very early days, while love was sprouting and full of hope, before it grew strong and its roots sunk deep, Ava and Loki would watch the stars. It was the birth of a habit that would last a long time – and something they could never do alone without thinking of the other again.

They would lie, on a balcony high above Asgard, and just watch the way clouds disappeared behind the great towers of the palace, or make up stories to constellations that had not yet been discovered by anyone except them.

"There." Loki lifted his hand to point out a shape that he knew. One that was not his, but his mothers – a fragment of a story she had told him. "Can you see it?"

Ava squinted a little, the man smiling at how her nose wrinkled along the bridge as she did so. She could not see it; there was no great horse rising from the sea, no crashing of waves or hooves or any splendid equine form. There were just stars. Millions of them. An eternity of light.

Loki let his fingers run along her arm as he lifted it with his, his palm covering her hand as he guided her toward the shape. He let his head slide nearer to hers, their gazes lining up, and he whispered the lines she was to look for.

The woman smiled, a look of knowledge filling her features as she saw the story painted in the sky. She twisted her hand in his, taking it carefully and bringing it down against her sternum. "That is remarkable." Ava twisted onto her side and took Loki in. "It is remarkable that of all those stars you can see a story in a few. None of them are insignificant. Not even the smallest."

"They are all quite beautiful." He watched her and the way her features let him into her soul.

"It is not just beauty. It is the whole. The full spectrum. The knowledge that without one of those little lights the whole story would fall apart." Ava kissed him sweetly, pulling her body against his as the cold of the stones finally seeped into her skin.

Loki drew an arm around her and shifted her weight against him. He very much liked her kisses; the way they were soft and loving, eager and gentle. He very much liked that they were for him alone and he very much liked that he could kiss her back.

The man ran his touch over the curve of her neck, his fingers slipping up into her hair at the taste of her. He could love her, he knew that. He could love her very much – enough to last them all of eternity. He could love her that much. But his heart held him back a little, it said a very soft 'be careful'; a warning that was nor for him but for her. He knew he was full of mischief and not darkness, of jealousy but not deceit. With Ava, with his lips to hers and her hands on him he could see the difference and judge it fairly. Without her, without the strength of her gentle heart, he was afraid of falling into the abyss.

He was but one star that shone dully compared to Thor's. He could burn bright, just as bright as Ava thought he did.

Loki let the woman fit her head in the curve of his neck, let the scent of her hair drift up as her fingers laced with his and folded over his heart.

"Loki." She spoke gently, her eyes on the sky and her head happily swimming in him. "You are never a single star. You are all of them; the whole sky and every story."

Sometimes he wouldn't see that. Sometimes he would see nothing at all. But to her, from that moment on, he was the entire night. The dark that stretched on; never black but always seeming that way, never completely dark, and never as lonely as it thought it was. But most of all – always full of stories, and always creating more.

* * *

_As far as I know only one person besides myself enjoys these. Haha.  
I really do hope you like these little stories and I hope they are keeping you in touch with these characters - not just as the story progresses but as it has been as well.  
Let me know if you want me to keep writing these. I think I shall, because I do enjoy writing them, but I really do want to know if you enjoy reading them.  
As always, constructive criticism is welcome and I appreciate each and every ounce of support and input._

Blessings,  
P. 


	8. A Thought

**A Thought  
**

* * *

The bed was warm, its covers comfortable and its air silent. Ava was tired, so very tired. Her body ached brutally and her mind spun in a million different directions. She had a lot to think about, a lot to acknowledge.

The first being that Loki had left her after promising not to. He had been pulling her up beside him when they had hit that building, and instead of coming down after her he had flown off after Natasha. And then she had nearly died because she had been stranded, alone, and fighting. Fighting for her life, fighting for his.

It was exhausting.

And he hadn't done much in return. He seemed concerned, yes. Worried. He said he loved her, that he wanted it to work, but he hadn't proven that. All she had done she had done alone; she had stepped into that darkness, into the cold discomfort to find him. She had been blind, pained, drained, and lonely. She had been lonely because he had not come to find her.

Ava wondered if Loki had thought of her while he was gone. If he had remembered what it was like to lay with her in his arms, what it was like to wake up beside her. She wondered if he remembered what it was like to make love in the early hours, or even what she smelled like.

It hurt to think these things. It hurt to think that the man she loved had gone so far away. That he had gone with perhaps no intention of coming back. She wanted to hold him so desperately, to kiss him and to make him feel as whole as he could be. She wanted that for them both.

But he didn't seem to want to hold up his end of the bargain.


	9. A Tumblr

**Ava Sijur**

* * *

Ava has her own blog! It is on tumblr and the URL is _ ava-sijur _(dot tumblr dot com)  
You can now ask her things on that blog if you want. You can do it anonymously without an account if you prefer (though I will not respond to hate, only constructive criticism). I know a lot of you might RP on tumblr and you can come and do some ask-box RP or submit style RP if you want.  
Its really for fun and you can interact with Ava from any point on her timeline; before Loki, before Loki's fall, after The Avengers - its up to you. I want to provide you readers with the opportunity to interact with the character while we wait for the next movie.

Hope to see you all soon.  
P.


	10. A Trailer

**A Trailer**

* * *

Ava stood on the other side of the glass chamber, her gaze firmly fixed on the figure beside. Her bow was clutched in her hand, her armor worn in its fullness, her heart settling in her chest.

She had been with Frigga and Jane earlier that day. She had been with the few on Asgard who could be in her company and not be judgmental, not look as if they had a million questions and accusations. She had been with them and now she was here.

Her eyes met his as her head came up to a sound. Her bow was drawn fully, her aim quickly at the door.

Nothing could have prepared them for this. Nothing could prepare anyone for this. Not a man who had given up, not a man who had been found, not a woman who had tried so hard for both and never knew what the outcome would be.

Ava glanced at Loki and then back along her arrow. "You never came for me. I do not know what sacrifices you would make for me. I do not know what you will do. But I made a commitment to you, I made a promise, and I believe that the man I love – no matter how much he has been changed, is still in there. I hope he can still love the person I have become."

She saw shadows at the end of the hallway, heard noises that unsettled her more than those from the hour before. "And if he cant then he had better say so."

Firelight flickered on the gold pieces of her armor, washed over her hair like the sun. He watched her, saw her, knew her.

"He says so."

Ava turned her head to him and smiled quietly. "Don't let me down again. And don't you dare die."

Her arrow flew from her bow and was quickly replaced by another. This was a new place to start with a lot of old memories. But it was a start. It was them. It was her unyielding loyalty, perhaps stupid in its commitment; but then again, love made people do stupid things.

Love. It was still that. It was very much still that. It was just new, evolved, different. It had changed with them. It had altered as they had, moved with them. And now…now time would tell. Time and all the battles it held.

* * *

_I am sure that most of you have also watched the new Thor 2 Trailer. There is much about it that got me eager to write another Loki x Ava story and much about it that made me a bit anxious. Haha. The scene above probably wont make it into the story but is based off the trailer and a brief moment where Thor is seen to be fighting in the prison - which makes me think that it below the palace or somewhere close by and that the Dark Elves are coming for Loki. Or something. I dont know. We wont know until the movie comes out. The bit that worried me the most was the scene of someone wearing something very similar to Loki attire falling to their knees. There are rumours that Loki will die. If that is the case then fine, so be it; its going to be sad but it wont stop me writing it. Damn it. Haha. I hope Loki gets his redemption; for himself, for his family, and for Ava. It will definitely be a great movie and a very interesting story to write an OC into. I very much hope that I can do it justice.  
__Please let me know if you like this one and if there are any little drabbles you want in particular - I will take suggestions happily.  
__Hope you're all well.  
_P.


	11. A Stark

**A Stark**

* * *

Ava stood alone in a lab that overlooked the main hub of the flying ship. She watched as people moved from monitor to monitor, as they gazed at the sky floating around the glass of their vessel. She stood and just watched, her fingers toying with the ends of her hair as her other arm crossed over her waist.

The wooshing sound of a door opening brought her back to herself, to the tiredness and the desperation in her heart. She turned and saw Tony Stark striding into the room with a strange tablet in his hand and his eyes on its screen.

"Oh, Blondie." He said in a surprised manner that didn't seem surprised at all. "How are you doing?"

"Why do I get the feeling that you've been sent to babysit?" Ava replied with an even tone and a meek smile.

"Because I have been." Stark said honestly, bluntly, with a humored tinge.

The Asgardian's smile grew genuine and she nodded. "Alright." She turned back to the view below and listed as the man sat on the end of the large table that dominated the middle of the room. "You want to know about Loki."

"I do." Tony replied sharply. "I want to know why Reindeer Games tugs your heart strings. I understand the bad boy element, but not the evil overlord thing. I mean…that just doesn't seem like that big of a turn on."

Ava turned around and continued to smile. The man's demeanor was light. Some might take offense but she didn't. Not yet. "He isn't an evil overlord. He's very good a lying and I think that this is one of his best."

"Think?"

"Like I said – he's a good liar."

"And you stay with him because…you like the mystery? I have never met a woman who likes lying as a trait."

Ava laughed shortly. "He does not lie to me."

"That you know of." Stark pointed a touch pen at her and stood up, his eyes thinning. "Unless you're in on his little game."

The woman watched him, her eyebrow coming up slightly. "No. I do not play his games. Hence why he cannot lie to me."

"You are either remarkably valiant or very stupid."

Ava considered this. "Both. Probably both." She smiled. "Stark, I am in love with Loki and I want to see the best in him even if it isn't on display. I know a side to him that you don't, I know that he can be good and kind and generous. He is misunderstood, and he had been driven to many dark places."

"I think he drove himself to those places, Blondie. Your boyfriend is a whole other box of crazy."

"Maybe." Was her quiet reply.

Tony put a hand on her shoulder and gave her two short pats. "Don't do anything stupid. You will love again."

"Not like this." She met his eye easily. "I have made a commitment, I have laid in that bed."

"You can get a divorce."

"I would not, not if there was the slightest glimmer of hope."

Tony took a step back and took her in. "What has he done for you? What has he given you in return for this loyalty."

"Nothing."

"So…you're as crazy as him? Just without the magic stick of destiny and the…horns."

Ava tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "He will come back."

"And if he doesn't? You have a lot of money bet on the losing horse that might actually kick you."

"But he's my horse. Isn't it worth everything to try and get it right?"

Tony stood for a moment in the silence between them. "Maybe for some. Definitely not for others. I hope you get your moneys worth."

"Me too."

Stark waved his tablet at her. "Come on, Blondie. I'll show you how to play cards."

* * *

_For MayDayReject.  
x._

P. 


	12. An Explosion

**An Explosion**

* * *

It was cold; the air, the feel, the scent. It was all just cold and grey and bitter. Ava ran through the gloom with a racing heart and a pallid complexion. There were loud bangs going on all over the place, the kind that built and popped violently before starting all over again. They were accompanied by fire, by heat, and by splattering's of mud and ash.

Ava raised her arms over her face and kept running as another blast went off nearby. There was no distinctive landmark, no great pathway to follow. She was just going, going, and going toward him. She had to go toward him. She had to find him and bring him back. How he had ended up in a place like this she did not know, and her heart wept for his journey for hers had torn her apart.

The woman stopped in a moment of acute silence, her blonde hair sweeping out behind her as she turned her head sharply, her armor glimmering in a fire nearby. He was laying there on a mound of churned up earth, his hand on his chest and his hair matted against his skin by sweat and mud.

Ava ran to Loki and dropped down by his side, her knees instantly damp from the ground and her hands immediately over his. He smiled at her, pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and touched her chin so that he might guide her down to him for a soft kiss.

She was trembling. In anger, fear, relief, all of those things. She didn't say anything to him, she didn't have to. He knew. He knew that he had left her, he knew that she would come to this place to find him. But she had told him, a long time ago, that it might be a one way trip.

A tear mingled into the kiss and Loki paused, frowned, and heard the world ripped away from silence by the high keel of a projectile. It hit right beside them, her eyes closing as she wrapped her form over his and covered him from the impact.

A deafening ring followed, a ring that drowned out all shouts and all cries of pain. It drowned out her wheezing, and the way she clutched at her side. It did not blind the view of the cuts that marked her flesh, or the shrapnel that had torn lines through her back.

She put her forefinger under his chin and lifted it up, kissing him gently as she always had. She tasted like the summer, her skin was warm like the sun. He held her as she died, her body still protecting his from whatever came, her everything still chasing his into whatever danger and placing herself between it and who he could become.

Ava died slowly. Painfully. She deflated and felt cold. She felt lonely. She knew that he knew. She knew that he was aware of it all. She knew that he felt bad. And she felt bad because she could no longer comfort him.

* * *

_Suggested by DarcyBanner.  
I saw this in my head as more of a dream sequence, as a nightmare of sorts. I think it might end up in the next story, it might not. I dont know yet because we dont know enough about Thor 2 yet. DarcyBanner came up with the idea and I say a million thank you's to her; I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope everyone else did too. Please let me know, and please dont hesitate to leave more suggestions.  
x._

P.


	13. A Magic Trick

**A Magic Trick**

* * *

Ava stood with her eyes closed, her brow furrowed down the middle, and she smiled with both curiosity and anxiety. Loki watched her with a small smirk, his hands on her upper arms as he guided her carefully into the middle of a great room. There were no windows, and the roof was domed dramatically. Their footsteps echoed on the near empty ground and the woman put a hand carefully over the god's, squeezing it tightly before she spoke.

"Loki…"

"Shhh." He replied quickly. "Nearly there."

"Okay." Ava nodded. "I hope you appreciate that I kept my eyes closed."

"I appreciate it."

"That doesn't sound sincere."

"I'm concentrating."

"On what?"

"Ava. Shush."

Loki had spent the last week worrying about Thor's impending coronation, and he knew he had been neglecting the woman who stayed at his side with her fierce little attitude and her soft kind smile. He wanted to make it up to her and he couldn't help but feel relaxed with the knowledge that he had her to himself for the rest of the evening.

Ava ground her teeth in anticipation. "Can I open my eyes please?"

The god sighed and pressed kiss to her temple. "Yes you can, you impatient woman."

"I can be patient for you." She kept her eyes closed a moment longer to prove her point, raising an eyebrow at him to drive her angle home and cause a small chuckle to slip from between Loki's lips.

"Have a look." He turned her head back to the room, his hands steady on her shoulders as he waited for her response.

Ava had known that Loki was good at magic, she knew he was intelligent and hugely capable, but what she saw went beyond that. The whole blackened dome of the room was full of the stars of Asgard. They moved as they would throughout the night, slipping across the sky as the new day came. On the ground were a range of soft blankets and pillows, candles, a dinner that could only be arranged for a Prince of Asgard.

The woman stood there dumbfounded for a long, long moment. Loki waved his hand and the stars changed to those of Midgard's Northern Hemisphere, and then that of the Southern. And then he showed her Alfheim, before moving to other places she had not known he had been to.

Loki took her hand, holding back his smile as he guided her down to lay beside him, eat, and enjoy his magic.

Ava put a hand over her mouth as the view sank in. The room was huge, almost as large as the throne room, and there they lay in a small spot of light surrounded by a vast darkness with only Loki's magic universe above them.

"You're phenomenal." She said as she moved to rest beside him. "I cant…how do you do that?"

"Practice." He replied smoothly. "I've been…moody lately. I've been a little cruel to you, I've snapped at you and forgotten about things, and I'm sorry. I hope this can at least make up for some of it."

"Loki…" Ava looked at him quietly, her eyebrows knitting together for a moment before she brushed her fingers through the hair above his ear. "Loki, I know you're stressed and a upset. I want to be there for you and, even though you haven't let me in that much this week I know you want to. Or I hope you want to."

"I do want you to."

She smiled softly as she pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "All you have to do is say sorry and talk to me. Not that I don't love this – I think that this is amazing and I cant believe how wonderful you are. I am so grateful that you've done it for me."

Ava watched his expression in the small light from the candles and the great light from above. "I love you, Loki. Allow me to put up with you."

He drew a hand around the curve of her neck and brought her in for a deep kiss. She tasted of oranges, of sea salt, and of summer warmth. He had his magic, he had his mind, and for that moment he had her. There was only so much his tricks could do, and only so much smoke he could hide himself with. She seemed to see through it all. Ava seemed to see him. It was terrifying and enlightening all at once, but more than anything he wanted to be to her what she was to him.

But deep down, Loki knew he could not be that man. He knew that maybe she deserved someone else; maybe one day she would want someone else. He couldn't think like that though, because the thought of her in the arms of another man made him angry and frustrated. Loki wanted Ava, he wanted her loyalty, her stubborn ferocity, and her heart. And he knew he had it, and he knew it was selfish, but for that moment he was selfish, selfish and in love, just as she was.

* * *

___Story request by ForFriendsForLove. _

_I am so sorry that this has taken so long to get out. Its been a hugely hectic few weeks and I never meant to make you all wait for such a long time. Hopefully I'll be posting some of these more frequently now that my time has evened out a bit more. _

_I sincerely hope you enjoyed this story. Let me know and hit me with your constructive criticism and requests in your reviews - I appreciate all the input you give me.  
_

_Blessings,  
P. _


	14. A Visit

**A Visit**

* * *

Ava had not been permitted to visit Loki. Her father had kept her under a tight watch, never letting her leave his sight or the sight of a trusted guard. She had spent a while recovering from her injuries, her side healed well but she would still get the occasional pains, and the little white scar told a story she didn't wish to put into words.

He had hurt her. Betrayed her. He had abused her trust and her love and she had nearly died. Ava didn't know how to deal with those revelations. But she loved him. She believed in his potential. She believed he could do better.

The woman knew that Loki had been to a dark place, that he had been to a tortured place, that he had suffered. She wanted to help, but she couldn't if he wouldn't help himself. Not knowing how far gone he was…it was almost as bad as thinking him dead that night the bridge had shattered.

But she did go to him. She did find a way. Cloaked, and in the middle of the night, her blonde hair hidden by a hood and her eyes the only light in the moonless evening. Ava walked far, winding down to the prison with her heart in her throat. It smelled dry, cool like stone, and at the end of it all was a glass case full of light and a man who looked as if he had seen better days.

He knew who it was before she folded the hood back, and he stood before the window and watched her as she watched him.

"Its been a while." Loki's tone was flat, dry, his clothes looking worse for wear and his face bored and tired.

"It has been." Ava replied as she remembered the last time she had been on the opposite side of the god's glass cage. As she remembered what had happened after. "I have missed you."

"Then why have you not come?"

"Why you think, Loki?"

He was quiet for a moment, his eyes drifting over her. "Are you…"

"I'm fine." She kept her tone steady, her eyes on his. "How are you?"

"Well…" He opened his arms to indicate his cell and said no more.

Ava stepped up to the glass and pressed her hand to it. She still wore her ring, and she saw that he did too. "Where do we stand, Loki? Tell me the truth. Do you still love me?"

He was silent. She watched his face, watched his eyes slip from hers. He did still love her, they both knew it. They both knew that it was not a bond that could be broken so easily, even if it would have been easier if it had. It hurt them both, ached, and throbbed, and pulled at the impossibilities of their relationship. He, behind his glass wall, and she…so wounded by his actions.

Ava breathed slowly and brought her hand back to herself. The hands he thought were beautiful, attached to the woman he had known would be loyal to him, and who remained strong to that knowledge. She pressed her fingers to her lips and then held the kiss against the glass.

"Come back to me. Be better. Be the man I know you are. I don't care whose son you are, I don't care about whether or not Thor is some favorite child. What I care about is you and who you can be and whether or not that person still exists."

He remained silent.

"I love you still, but part of me hates you too." Ava stepped back from the window. "Whatever happens, I will wait for you. But don't make me wait too long."

Loki looked at her, his eyes hard and cold and lonely. If they could have held each other then they would have, just to know that the other was still alright, still whole at least in physicality.

But no. They could not. It was worse than tragedy; it was a love story with no end in sight and no relief as a consequence. Yet that was what it was, and neither wanted to know any different. Not even then when they weren't sure if they still knew who that other person was anymore.

* * *

_I'd read the spoilers for the new Thor 2 trailer and this little drabble just seemed to flow from whatever I was feeling then. Its hard to write not knowing whats going to happen, but I'll keep up with these little stories to keep in touch with the characters. Ava is very close to my heart and her relationship with Loki after the Avengers...coming back from that was never going to be easy.  
Anyway. I hope you enjoyed this little story - let me know what you thought. Hopefully I'll be on a bit more than I have been. Dont hesitate to come find me on tumblr either. _

_Blessings,  
P. _


	15. A Musing

**A Musing**

* * *

Ava wondered what it would be like to hold him again; if he felt the same, smelled the same, moved the same. She wondered what would happen when he was let out – would they embrace or stand awkwardly staring at each other. She wondered if he still loved her. He seemed to. He still wore his ring. But love…it behaves in unusual ways and now she wondered if she still loved him, or the memory of what he had been.

That man, that god that sat in his glass cell – who was he? Did he read the letters she smuggled in books, or did he leave them in a pile unopened? Had he become so lost that survival did not matter anymore; that nothing mattered anymore, including her?

They were selfish questions. How did he feel for her. What would happen for her. They weren't the ones that hurt her heart the most. The one that ached and moved like a serpent was; how did he feel for himself?

That was a question only time could answer. And only a question he could answer in time. She'd stand by him…and wait to see if she had to walk away.


End file.
